Consult with industry professionals urge NICEIC and ELECSA

NICEIC and ELECSA have urged the Government to consult with industry professionals before embarking on any new radical energy efficiency plans.

The message comes in the wake of the Government’s decision this week to scrap further funding to the Green Deal Finance Company – all but killing off the much troubled Green Deal scheme

“In theory it should have worked,” commented Dani Putney, Renewable Sector Specialist at NICEIC and ELECSA, “In reality though the scheme was over engineered, difficult to market and a nightmare to access.

“It was supposed to be the biggest home improvement scheme since the end of World War II. We invested a lot of time, money and resources to make the scheme work and so did our customers.

“Now it looks like it will be binned after just a few years.

“We can’t let the knowledge, skills and know-how that has built up over the last few years go to waste. We would urge the government to learn from this and consult with those who worked hard to try and make Green Deal work before it comes up with any new policy.”

The decision to scrap Green Deal funding comes less than two weeks after the government also abandoned its zero-carbon homes policy and just a day after it emerged it was consulting on plans to axe small-scale solar farm subsidies

“There is no doubt that all these measures will have a drastic effect on the renewable sector,” added Dani.

“The sector has been plagued by bureaucracy and red tape in the last few years but it has always seemed to pull through.

“The amount of solar PV installations has actually increased in recent months, which makes the latest decisions even more astounding.

“There is still, clearly, a public interest in utilising these technologies as people try to get a grip on rising energy costs in the home.

“The government must use that momentum to outline a clear strategy for the future and they must act quickly otherwise the hard work in educating and informing people over the last few years will be lost.”